Kalpana is known as one of the most popular actresses of the 90s cinema. She worked predominantly in Kannada films. Fondly referred to as Minugu Taare, the actress made her debut with the film Saaku Magalu, released in 1963.
Throughout her acting career, Kalpana appeared in a string of commercial hits as well as critically appreciated films. She is also a part of some Tamil, Tulu, and Telugu films. The actress rose to prominence with her 1971 film Sharapanjara. In the film, she played the role of Kaveri which accorded her with the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress award.
Her collaboration with veteran filmmaker Puttanna Kanagal in the 1970s garnered huge praise. The duo then worked in many commercially and critically successful films together. Some of her notable films, where she portrayed antagonistic roles, garnered considerable attention. Among these were Kavaleradu Kulavandu and Bala Nagamma.
The actress was also cast in a few Tamil and Malayalam films. The 1967 film Belli Moda, which was directed by Puttanna Kanagal brought her into the limelight. She ruled the Kannada cinema in the late 1960s and 1970s with movies such as Sharapanjara, Gejje Pooje, Belli Moda, Eradu Kanasu, Kappu Bilupu, Bayalu Daari, Gandhada Gudi and Bangarada Hoovu, among others.
From sharing screen space with popular actors like Rajkumar, Gangadhar and Udaya Kumar to working with music stars such as P Susheela and S Janaki, the actress was associated with several prominent personalities.
Some of her Tamil films include Madras To Pondicherry and Sadhu Mirandal. The films were later released in Hindi. The actress was also awarded with Karnataka State Award for Best Actress thrice for Belli Moda, Hannele Chiguridaga and Sharapanjara.
Despite achieving a huge stardom in the film industry, the actress reportedly gave up on her life due to several factors including health problems, poor financial condition and an unsuccessful relationship. She passed away on May 12, 1979. Her post-mortem report revealed that she has consumed over 56 sleeping pills. She spent the last few days before her demise at an inspection bungalow located in Gotur near Sankeshwar, Belagavi, Karnataka.
